Anathema
In classical archeology, anathema or anathema ( Greek ἀνάθημα ) is a gift of consecration that is offered to a deity . Such objects were discovered in numerous excavations in the Greek cultural area , for example in Delphi , Olympia and on Crete . The essential feature is the transfer of ownership to the deity, that is, the object passes into their possession. In this way, on the one hand, a sacrifice is made, since a material value is passed from the founder to the deity, and on the other hand, the consecration is protected because its destruction would be a sacrilege. In this way, the devotion to the deity remains permanent and can ensure a positive influence on the founder in the long term.
literature
- Felix Eckstein : Anathemata. Studies of the strict style votive offerings in the sanctuary of Olympia . 1969.
- Werner Gauer : Consecration gifts from the Persian Wars . Wasmuth, Tübingen 1968.
- Emil Reisch : Ἀνάθημα . In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume I, 1, Stuttgart 1893, Col. 2069.
- Klaus Stähler : Krateros and Alexander. On the anathema of the Krateros in Delphi . In: Hans-Joachim Drexhage , J. Sünskes (Ed.): Migratio et Commutatio. Festschrift Th. Pekáry . 1989, p. 258 ff .
- Klaus Stähler: About the so-called marathon anathema in Delphi . In: Athenian communications . tape 106 , 1991, pp. 191 ff .